Sir John Hegarty: Why I Became Chairman of Whalar

I’ve spent over 50 years in the advertising business. 50 years! I know, it frightens me too. A founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi. Helping start the London office of TBWA and eventually setting up Bartle Bogle Hegarty in 1982. Working on brands like Levis, Audi, Johnnie Walker and with the UN. Naturally you learn many things over such a long career. But the one thing I’ve valued and championed over that time is creativity. The importance of it, its enduring value and its ability to change the fortunes of brands.

Today we live in a world of technological disruption. From music, to publishing, to film making. We are moving from a certain world to an uncertain world. However, there is one thing that is permanent. The power of creativity. The challenge is how do we embrace it and promote it.

And this is what excites me about Whalar. When you start any venture, you’re investing in the future. Unless you’re a museum. And Whalar is forward-facing. Its very birth was born out of experience; Neil and James’s Shore Projects. Learning from doing - rather than talking. I like that. That knowledge will drive the way we grow our business. Being a market leader. Standing for integrity and openness. Developing a code of practice for how the influencer industry is seen. Working with the best influencers because we’re the best. We want to help them build and develop their relationships with their followers. But most of all we want to liberate the creative voice in all of us. For our clients, our influencers and for our business.

That’s what excited me and I hope excites all of you. The future is creative. We want to be building it. Who wouldn’t want to be Chairman of that.